With the Celtics sitting at 12-4 which is the best record in the league, are they the favorites to win the championship. Imo their roster is much better than lost year even though they lost smart and some depth, they have a legit third option in Porzingis and Jrue who’s a lockdown perimeter defender and an all star. Tatum is also playing the best basketball I’ve seen him play, his shot making, rebounding and defense is much improved and tbh I can seem him making an MVP case either this year or next year. The Bucks and Suns are looking good but I don’t think they’re gonna face up well against the Celtics. The Nuggets are the only team I think can beat them just because the Nuggets have great team chemistry and even though their bench sucks, Jokic is the best player on the court and I don’t think Horford or Porzingis match up great with him.
I think the Celtics are clearly better than either Florida team.
The issue is that both teams always play us hard, especially the playoff heat.
Part of it is our mentality - we know we are almost always the more talented team, so we just expect the other team to just give up. When teams don't give up, we act surprised.
You saw this both times the Heat beat us and went to the finals. The Heat never quit, but lacked talent to win the Finals. The Celtics don't lack in talent, but they lack the killer mentality to put teams away that deserve to be put away.